Ramping Up Lift Sales

Providers can thank the real estate market if they are seeing increased demand for patient lifts and ramps.

In a better real estate environment, an older or disabled person would likely sell his or her multi-level home and downsize to a smaller ranch. But with many people “upside down” in their home mortgages and few prospects of selling, they are looking to make their current homes more accessible.

Paul E. Johnson, vice president of sales, marketing and service at Harmar, suggests the suffering real estate market as an explanation for higher product demand, but adds that consumer awareness of the products remains low.

“Many lift products are easily adaptable to a house with few or no modifications,” Johnson says. “The whole idea behind these products is that you don't have to build a new house or put in an elevator shaft. People are living in their dining rooms because they don't know about these products.”

Unfortunately, lack of consumer awareness also plagues the related market for vehicle lifts. One survey estimates that around 60 percent of consumers are not aware of vehicle lift products, says Cy Corgan, national sales director of retail mobility for Pride Mobility Products. This lack of awareness makes it especially important that providers include displays at their locations to show how easy it is to transport a scooter or power wheelchair. It is also helpful to have a vehicle onsite equipped with a lift to demonstrate it to the consumer, Corgan says.

The opportunities for cash sales from the various lift and ramp products could help to offset profitability declines in other categories tied to competitive bidding. MJ Sonnenfeld, vice president of sales for ramp maker Prairie View Industries (PVI), says HME providers should not wait for customers to ask for a ramp. “Most people don't know the options out there to make their lives more accessible,” he says.

“For every chair and scooter sold, there should be a ramp sold,” Sonnenfeld states. “But now it's more like there is a ramp sold for probably every 100 chairs. It should be mentioned to every single customer.”

End-users who don't buy a ramp along with their wheelchair or scooter are likely to go to other sources, maybe even family members, to build a ramp, he says. “Is your son-in-law qualified to build it? Is it strong enough?” he asks.